One of the problems facing many drivers is the lack of signaling before making turns or changing lanes. Frequently, drivers making right or left turns in a marked lane mistakenly believe that signaling is unnecessary. In particular, drivers will not signal if they are in a designated turn lane. In addition to general failure by drivers in signaling right or left turns, drivers making U-turns in left turn designated lanes are generally unable to signal their intent.
In many instances, drivers attempt to use left or right turn signals to indicate an intention to make a U-turn. Unfortunately, left or right turn signals are not effective in alerting oncoming or following vehicles that the driver intends to make a U-turn. Hence, following drivers may believe that the driver in front of them is actually making a standard left turn and respond accordingly. However, the larger arc required for a U-turn often intrudes into the path of unsuspecting drivers and endangers both vehicles. The oncoming traffic, whether on a side street without traffic signals or at a controlled intersection are likewise uninformed and unaware that the signaling driver's intention is to make a U-turn and not a left turn. Many traffic accidents occur in this manner.
In many instances it has been found that drivers, particularly less experienced ones, often neglect to utilize the turn signal apparatus on their vehicle due in part to a reluctance to remove one hand the steering wheel and other controls of the vehicle in order to initiate appropriate turn signals on the vehicle. While practitioners in the vehicle arts have endeavored to place controls such as turn signal controls at convenient places for easy access by drivers, this reluctance has nonetheless persisted. Also, it has been found that there is a tendency on the part of many drivers, again particularly less experienced drivers, to be temporarily distracted from observing the road and areas surrounding the vehicle as they drive when access to a turn signal is sought. Even experienced drivers often involuntarily take their eyes off of the road to glance down at turn signal controls during activation thereof. As a result, even the best of vehicle turn signal apparatus available in the marketplace is subject to shortfalls and limitations and is by no means an ideal apparatus.
The foregoing limitations and shortcomings of presently available vehicle turn signal apparatus has prompted practitioners in the art to endeavor to provide a variety of improved signaling apparatus for motor vehicles.
For example, practitioners in the art have endeavored to provide a variety of signaling apparatus which addresses the need for indicating the intention of a driver to execute a U-turn. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,541 issued to Sullivan, et al. sets forth a U-TURN SIGNAL DEVICE having a U-turn indicating light signal array mountable upon a vehicle which is operative in response to a remotely produced transmitted signal within the vehicle. The transmitter and receiver coupling link is provided by an ultrasound communication apparatus. The apparatus provides for a transmitting and sending unit which may be adhesively mounted at a convenient point within the vehicle. The receiving unit is coupled to a set of lighted displays which in turn may, for example, be mounted in the rear window of the host vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,001 issued to Haddad, et al. sets forth an AUXILIARY SIGNAL TO INDICATE a U-TURN in which a U-turn signal indicating light apparatus is supported within the vehicle interior proximate the vehicle rear window. A remote radio frequency transmitter is situated within the driver's access and is operated by manual switching to produce a radio frequency signal which activates a radio frequency receiver coupled to the U-turn signaling device. When the transmitter is activated by the vehicle driver, an activating signal is transmitted to the signal receiver which in turn activates the light signaling apparatus for a predetermined time period.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,417,534 issued to Quach, et al. sets forth a U-TURN SIGNAL DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES having a “double-sided” signal array operative in response to a wireless communication link. The vehicle operator triggers the energizing of the signal array utilizing a manual switch within the vehicle cockpit. The switch apparatus energizes a wireless communication transmitter which in turn energizes the power system of the U-turn indicating light signal array. The light signal array is double-sided and is thus visible for vehicles which are approaching and vehicles which are following the host vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,289 issued to Roman sets forth a U-TURN SIGNAL ATTACHMENT having a lighted U-turn indicating device supported within the vehicle interior at a place visible to drivers outside the vehicle. The light signaling device is energized by a manual switch activated by the driver within the vehicle cockpit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,708 issued to Strawn sets forth a U-TURN SIGNAL APPARATUS having a switching apparatus activated by a conventional turn signal lever which is movable to a second position. The turn signal lever is thus capable of being moved to conventional positions indicating right turn and left turn signaling as well as further positions which indicated U-turn signaling. AU-turn signal indicator is provided on the vehicle dashboard in addition to conventional left and right turn signaling indicators.
In further attempts to improve the general operation of turn signal indicators within vehicles, practitioners have provided additional refinements in response to specific situational needs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,970,074 issued to Perlman sets forth a WIRELESS REMOTE VEHICLE SIGNALING INDICATOR FOR SUPPLEMENTING EXISTING VEHICLE SIGNAL INDICATORS having additional lighted signal indicators which may be secured to a suitable surface of a vehicle, such as a side view mirror, and which are wirelessly coupled to the vehicle signaling system. This wireless coupling is accomplished by a radio frequency communication device operatively coupled to the turn signal apparatus of the vehicle and energized in combination therewith. The transmitting device produces a turn indicating activation signal when the conventional turn signal apparatus of the vehicle is operated by the driver. The remote lighted indicating device includes a wireless receiver which activates the signal indicating device in response to the transmitted signal. In this manner, additional wiring of the vehicle in order to provide such auxiliary turn signal lighting is not required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,715 issued to Lietzow, et al. sets forth a WIRELESS TAILLIGHT SYSTEM suitable for use in environments such as towed trailers or wagons. The system includes a wireless transmitter operative within the vehicle together with a remote wireless receiver and turn signal light indicating apparatus mounted to the towed vehicle. A feedback apparatus confirms to the transmitting unit that the remote turn signal apparatus has been successfully activated when the user operates the transmitter.
Published U.S. Patent application US 2008/0258899 filed by Stiles, et al. sets forth a TRANSMITTER APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR REMOTE SIGNALING having a driver operated control panel supported within the vehicle together with a remote turn signal indicating apparatus secured to a towed vehicle. A wireless communication link is provided between the operator console and the remote signal indicating unit. In one embodiment, a user keypad comprises the control panel which is supported on the steering wheel column behind the steering wheel for convenient access. In a typical user environment, the towed vehicle comprises a wagon or trailer to which the remote signaling apparatus is attached.
In an art generally related to the present invention, practitioners have provided a variety of devices which respond to the human voice and which are utilized in operating electronic equipment or the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,518,889 issued to Schlager et al. sets forth a VOICE ACTIVATED PERSONAL ALARM having a voice activation circuit and a radio transmitter configured by a personal alarm system remote unit having a radio transmitter and receiver and for providing two-way communication, a navigation receiver for providing navigational information, a demodulator for demodulating the received navigation information, timing circuits for providing precise time of day determination and a voice activated detector having a output signal activated by the detection of a predetermined distress fraise.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,627 issued to Gould et al. sets forth APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR TRAINING AND OPERATING SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEMS which is able to respond to the input of a character string from a user by limiting the words it will recognize to words having a related but not necessarily identical character strain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,71,328 issued to Fitzpatrick et al. sets forth a METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC CREATION OF A VOICE RECOGNITION TEMPLATE ENTRY having means for automatically assembling a plurality of commands received by the data processing system at least one of the commands having a voice recognition criteria component associated therewith. The system constructs a voice recognition templet entry by associating the assembly voice recognition criteria components with the assembled plurality of commands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,963 issued to Bissonnette et al sets forth a VOICE ACTIVATED PERSONAL ORGANIZER which sets forth a small portable handheld electronic personal organizer having voice recognition operative upon words spoken by a user to input data into a organizer and record voice messages from the user. The spoken words and voice messages via a microphone and are data compressed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,276 issued to Thompson et al. sets forth a COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR ENHANCED INFORMATION TRANSFER having voice activation and voice control capabilities included within communication devices to perform the same functions as the touch sensitive visual display therein. The communication device includes a built-in modem, audio input and output, telephone jacks and wireless communication.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,586 issued to Marui sets forth a VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEM USED IN TELEPHONE APPARATUS having a handset, a hands free microphone for generating an input audio signal, a high pass filter for eliminating low frequency components from the signal, a signal lever controller for adjusting the level of high pass signal in response to the user handset or hands free microphone and means for recognizing the user utterance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,670 issued to Goldhor et al. sets forth a VOICE CONTROLLED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING TEXT FROM A VOICE CONTROLLED INPUT that divides the processing of each speech event into a dictation event and a text event for separate parallel processing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,243 issued to Noguchi sets forth a SINGLE-CHANNEL PER-CARRIER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM INCLUDING A VOICE-ACTIVATED TRANSMISSION POWER CONTROLLER usable in satellite communications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,332 issued to Otani et al. sets forth a AGC CIRCUIT FOR BURST SIGNAL having an automatic game control operative upon the process signal for controlling variations in loop gain of the demodulators carrier recovery circuitry to provide stable demodulation.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have to some extend improved the art and have in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for a more effective, affordable, user friendly and safety oriented system for operation in a motor vehicle which facilitates the communication by the driver of intentions to other surrounding and approaching motor vehicles.
In the past seven years that this art has been in circulation, the motor vehicle industry has changed rapidly towards a more autonomous level, giving the driver the role of more of an analyst and software expert than driver. Electronics have become smaller, more economical, and durable such that we have seen it become commonplace for automobiles to have factory installed computers and interfaces. These integrated consoles serve all manner of function, primarily GPS and radio and audio controls, but we are seeing them incorporating the vehicles climate control, displaying feedback about gas efficient, operating as a multimedia center, and even featuring internet connectivity and browsing.
Further, in the last several years, Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Google's voice interface has proven that speech recognition technology has improved to a point such that it is dependable and useful, and consequently desirable to consumers.
As the public becomes more familiar and comfortable with speech recognition and audible commands, so to do we see that audible commands are becoming more omnipresent in multiple industries particularly those where a person is engaged in multiple tasks concurrently, or faced with large amounts of data and expected to make decisions and react quickly.
As such, it becomes desirable to apply this technology towards the automotive industry. Through the application of this art a driver would be given a high potential of distinct commands that could then be given to a ODB II sensor that will begin to be integrated into not only vehicles but also inclusive of the IoT (Internet of Things).
Further, as the public has become dependent and even infatuated with smart-phone's and the internet, distracted driving has become an issue we are seeing more municipalities adopting laws and mandatory penalties to combat. As such, the ability for a driver to direct potentially an entire library of tasks towards his or her automobile while paying attention to the road and the immediate tasks at hand would immediately and effectively address this subject which has now become an area of concern.